'Truly evil' thug jailed

A "truly evil" teenage thug was jailed for 15 years today after repeatedly stamping on a pensioner's head and then trying to murder a friend he feared would betray him.

Ali Hussain, a 19-year-old with a love of violence and a need to brag about it, knocked his first victim's dentures down his throat and left him so brain-damaged he "now merely exists".

The second was not only paralysed for life but later received a menacing visit in intensive care to stop him "grassing" to police.

Hussain was convicted of one count of attempted murder and one of causing grievous bodily harm with intent after an Inner London Crown Court jury rejected his "nothing to do with me" defence.

The would-be killer from Duckett Street, Stepney, had earlier admitted a third charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Passing sentence, Judge Jonathan van der Werff told him his "foolish desire to look big" in front of his friends had come close to turning him into a double murderer.

As it was, he had only narrowly escaped a life sentence. The judge said his first victim - 85-year-old pensioner George Walkington - had been standing outside his east London home when the thug simply barged past him, walked into his home and used his phone.

"Not surprisingly, he remonstrated with you about your behaviour," the judge told him.

"In reply, you punched him to the face and head, knocking him to the ground and then stamped on his head repeatedly, according to a witness eight or nine times."

"Until that day Mr Walkington had lived an independent life by himself in his flat," said the judge.

"But as a result of what you did to him, he is now unable to live alone and has been put into institutional 24-hour care.

"His memory has completely gone... by your cruel actions his life was effectively ended that moment. He now merely exists. It was a savage attack."

The judge said that Hussain's second victim was 36-year-old John Collins, originally from County Derry, Ireland. Who realsied that realised Hussain had stolen his mobile phone and warned that unless it was returned he would go to the police.

Hussain and Abidur Choudhury, 18, attacked him in his home, stabbing him repeatedly.

Mr Collins, who is now paraplegic after the attack, gave live evidence over a computer video link from his hospital bed.

The judge said: He added: "Both your victims' lives have been totally ruined.

"You have done two truly evil acts. You must be punished for them and removed from society for a long time to come because you were and may be again a very dangerous young man if you were at liberty."

The judge added: "That not content with the havoc he had wrought, he then did his best to prevent Mr Collins' naming him to police.

To that end he "recruited" a second accomplice, with orders to go into the injured man's intensive care ward and "persuade" him to keep his mouth shut.Fortunately medical staff spotted him and ordered him out.

Outside court Mr Walkington's son - also George - branded his father's attacker as an "evil little animal".

"Anyone who picks on someone five times as old as they are is a shameless, disgusting coward ... he would not stop kicking my dad."

Choudhury, of Maroon Street, Poplar, East London, was jailed for 13 years after a separate jury also convicted him of attempted murder.